South Carolina horse breeders and trainers say they’re locked in a losing race with other states, putting their business and historic industry in jeopardy. So now they’re betting that a modern form of gambling could save them.
A bipartisan Statehouse bill dubbed the SC Equine Advancement Act would legalize a limited form of online wagering on horse races.
The new state commission created in the measure would license up to three applications to accept bets in the state, and those licensees would pay 10 percent of their earnings into a fund to support the Palmetto State’s equine industry.
The bill would only allow pari-mutuel betting in which winners split the pool with advanced deposits, meaning bettors would have to load money onto an account before wagering.
